How IMM is Empowering Students to Become the Masters of Their Own Digital Learning

‘We recruit passionate people who want to change the world’ – sitting a few kilometres outside one of the most creatively-diverse and culturally-rich cities on the planet, the Institute of Internet and Multimedia (IMM) in Paris has been recruiting young people to do exactly that for the past 25 years.

Part of the Leonardo da Vinci group of educational establishments, IMM was one of the very first schools created to address the demand for digital skills, which has grown exponentially since the mid-90s. And throughout the decades that followed, with digital evolving far beyond what any of us could have imagined, IMM has been witness to it all and progressed alongside it. The birth of the PC, video games becoming a mainstream phenomenon, and the rise of the smartphone – IMM understood well before others the impact the digital revolution would have on the business world.

What’s more, the Institute has played a huge role in creating the innovative and passionate professionals who have pioneered so much of this change. But, as many of us know, digital is a constantly evolving tapestry. Much like the creative process itself, it’s a fluid journey, not just an outcome.

And that’s why IMM is empowering its students to embrace the unexpected. From apps that help people establish a healthier work-life balance, to ones that support people moving abroad, IMM is unlocking student potential and empowering them to solve real business issues, meaning they can enter the workplace with immediate evidence of success and experience.

Ushering in the next generation of digital professionals

The belief that students today already possess the digital skills they need to thrive in a digital career just because they’re so-called ‘digital natives’, is a fallacy. It’s a misguided concept that’s actively holding back the business sector, and IMM understands this.

To address the digital skills gap, IMM is focusing on bridging a different gap – the one between education and the workplace. As such, IMM recognised it needed to adapt its teaching approach to meet the demands of the digital world, and has built Adobe Creative Cloud directly into the curriculum itself, meaning students are learning digital skills with the practical tools and solutions that they will likely use in the working world. For example, over 90% of the world’s creative professionals use Adobe Photoshop, meaning IMM students have an immediate advantage when job searching following their graduation.

Through its use of apps such as Adobe XD, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Photoshop, IMM is pioneering the use of creative digital tools among young people. For example, students can learn how to use digitally disruptive technologies such as VR, AI and 3D animations as soon as they start studying.

Outside of the classroom, IMM continues to excel as a centre of modern digital learning. The Institute recognises that everyone has the power to be a creative, irrespective of their field of study, background, or job aspiration – a mantra passionately shared by Adobe. To that end, the school offers more than 700 internships per year, and 96% of its students secure a job less than four months after graduating.

An opportunity, not a restriction

The marketing team at IMM also uses Adobe applications for its communications when attracting new generations of talent each year. Adobe Creative Cloud allows IMM employees to work more collaboratively – for example, a newsletter can be created in Adobe Dreamweaver, borrowing creative elements from different teams using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. This means IMM teams can create better quality, relevant content faster, enticing more students through its doors. In fact, IMM now has around 6,000 students, compared to 2,500 six years ago.

Like Adobe, the IMM knows there is an enormous opportunity to accelerate student development and equip future generations with the creative skills they need to thrive, so they can hit the ground running and add creative value in the real world as soon as they graduate.

Learn more about empowering students using Adobe Creative Cloud here.